Police Warn Homebound Travellers of Fatigue Hotspot, Central Java Records Most Mudik Accidents

Jakarta — The head of the Traffic Accident Data Collection, Analysis and Assessment Section at the National Police’s Traffic Corps (Korlantas Polri), Sandhi Wiedyanoe, has urged homebound travellers to remain vigilant in Central Java, noting that statistical analysis from the past three years (2023–2025) and projections for 2026 indicate the province is a major accident hotspot during the mudik (annual mass migration) period.

“Based on our analysis, the area with the highest accident rates over the past three years (2023, 2024, and 2025) and predicted for 2026 is Central Java. As we know, the Trans-Java toll road comprises the Cikampek toll, West Java toll, Cipularang toll, Central Java toll, and East Java toll. Central Java is a fatigue point, a stress point or a critical point,” Wiedyanoe said during a mudik preparedness press conference held with BPJS Kesehatan in Jakarta on Monday.

Wiedyanoe presented sobering statistics, revealing that the probability of fatalities per accident incident ranges from 15.72 to 23.77 per cent, meaning that of every ten accidents occurring during mudik, approximately two are almost certain to result in death.

“These are the statistics we are dealing with. Furthermore, it must be emphasised that severe injuries affect roughly one in eight accidents, with such injuries guaranteed to occur,” he stated.

However, Central Java presents a distinctive pattern. Based on statistical predictions and calculations, the province’s accident victims fall predominantly into two categories: either minor injuries or immediate death, with few cases of severe injury.

“This is interesting to discuss because it is possible that when an accident occurs, the victim sustains severe injuries, but due to inadequate treatment—for example, insufficient emergency medical response or hospital care—individuals who could have been saved die directly. This is a matter of concern for all of us to help develop ideal response strategies,” he explained.

Consequently, Wiedyanoe argued that the government should not focus exclusively on toll roads during the mudik operation, as statistical analysis reveals that the most fatal and frequent traffic accidents actually occur on arterial roads.